Senior Client Development Manager - 12 Months Fixed Term Contract in City of Westminster

We have a well-established global Marketing and Business Development (M&BD) team, which supports the firm on a wide range of business development, marketing and client relationship management activities. The team focuses on a number of key areas, all of which this role interacts with: Clients and Sectors, covering Sector M&BD and Client Development (where this role sits), Practice M&BD, Pitches, Campaigns and Projects, Strategic Initiatives, and Regional M&BD teams in the Americas, Asia Pacific and EMEA.

Working hours: 35 hours per week, 9:30am to 5:30pm; additional hours may be required. We are happy to consider agile and flexible working patterns. Our hybrid working model allows up to 40% of time working from home and 60% in the office.

Responsibilities

• Day-to-day relationship with a portfolio of allocated clients within the Financial and Real Estate sectors, acting as a key point of contact and proactively leading beyond legal work.
• Works closely with the Client Relationship Partner (CRP), Client Development Associate (CDA), broader Client team, relevant Sector M&BD team(s) and business teams.
• Facilitates the smooth-running of the team and builds a dynamic, inclusive team spirit.
• Proactively identifies and pursues cross-selling opportunities across practices, sectors and regions, driving profitable growth with the CRP(s).
• Brings new ideas and improved ways of working to client relationship management and shares best practices with the broader Client Development team.
• Deeply understands the client’s business and acts as the internal voice of the client.
• Supports strong client relationship management and advocates client feedback.
• Dedicated to evolving the Client Account Manager (CAM) Program for strategic growth.
• Mentors others on the Global Client Development team and wider CAM team on best practices.

Client Team Engagement

• Builds effective and diverse Client teams with the CRP(s).
• Identifies potential new team members and CDAs, leading onboarding.
• Plans and leads Client team meetings and ensures action completion.
• Creates robust internal communication infrastructure to share opportunities, information and intelligence.
• Acts as key point of contact for client relationship queries.
• Coaches and advises Client team members on best practice.

Client Planning

• Identifies opportunities for new business by monitoring and analysing client news and needs, ensuring information is shared with the Client teams.
• Proactively recommends ways to enhance the relationship.
• Takes a leading role, with the CRP(s) and Client team, to develop a client plan to expand the relationship.
• Drives plan implementation, taking ownership of deliverables.

Client Relationship Development

• Works with the CRP and the Client team to identify new ideas and business opportunities (products, solutions, industry knowledge, value-added services, training, etc.) to deepen the relationship.
• Ensures frequent meetings with key contacts across client and legal teams.
• Plans and prepares for client meetings with the Client team.
• Attends and actively participates in meetings.

Pitch and Opportunity Management

• Leads and project-manages legal panel reviews for allocated clients with the Global Pitches and Pursuits team.
• Consults on formal and informal pitch opportunities, preparing teams for presentations and ensuring pitch documents reflect key relationship messages.

Managing Financial Performance

• Monitors and analyses financial performance, reporting to the CRP and Client team.
• Supports CRP in ensuring compliance with client requirements such as discounts, financial reporting, and engagement terms.
• Manages preparation of reports required by the client (financial information, secondee commitment and overall relationship investment).
• Understands drivers for profitability and associated challenges.

Adding Value to the Relationship

• Develops ideas for engaging clients innovatively through value-added services (secondments, training, alternative legal services delivery, responsible business and inclusion initiatives).
• Supports Client team in providing value-added services and managing their delivery, including the secondment lifecycle.
• Collaborates with other CAMs to replicate successful initiatives and develops tools and templates.

Client Feedback

• Helps drive client feedback by identifying appropriate candidates for client interviews.
• Gathers independent feedback from the portfolio of clients through formal and informal reviews, post-matter reviews and pitch debriefs.
• Ensures feedback is acted upon appropriately by the Client team.

Client Program Projects

• Leads and supports aspects of wider Client Program initiatives as required.
• Helps drive strategy around the Client Programs.

Best Practice Sharing

• Identifies and communicates best practices for Client Account Management and BD with the wider team and Account Managers, including in sectors outside the core sectors.
• Supports Sector M&BD teams in crafting best practices for engaging clients in the sector.

Specific duties and responsibilities may be reviewed from time to time to reflect changes in personnel and management structure, staff location or services. All members of the firm participate in our Responsible Business program.

Qualifications

• Essential: Candidates must be educated to graduate level and hold a degree, or otherwise demonstrate appropriate market experience.
• Previous experience in a business, and particularly in Client Development / Client Account Management, within a city or professional services organisation, preferably a major law firm.
• Experience of, and comfort in, a partnership or equivalent professional services environment.

Desired:

• Prior knowledge and experience of working with clients within the Financial Institutions Sectors.
• Excellent understanding of Client Development, Business Development and Marketing processes.
• Creates a positive impact with colleagues, peers, partners and clients and demonstrates diplomacy, listening and influencing skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with an excellent eye for detail and the ability to write compelling propositions.
• Effective project management skills including the ability to plan ahead, prioritise conflicting demands to meet deadlines.
• Demonstrates a keen interest in self-development and shows initiative.
• Team player who is proactive with a 'can do' attitude.
• Demonstrates consistent excellent service delivery to internal clients.
• Demonstrates an understanding of the firm's business and marketplace.